a. Technical Field
The disclosure relates generally to vehicle components, and more particularly, to a device for holding a container.
b. Background Art
This background description is set forth below for the purpose of providing context only. Therefore, any aspects of this background description, to the extent that it does not otherwise qualify as prior art, is neither expressly nor impliedly admitted as prior art against the instant disclosure.
There are several devices for holding containers (e.g., cupholders) for use in vehicles, such as automobiles, aircrafts, and strollers. Some devices contain spring-loaded retainers that protrude through the sidewalls of the device and that are limited in how far they can extend. Moreover, these spring mechanisms may sacrifice stability by providing only point contacts on the container toward the base of the container (rather than the top). Also, greater spring forces may have a tendency to indent or distort softer containers like Styrofoam or thin-walled plastic bottles, while lesser spring forces may offer little resistance to tipping of large containers.
Rubber or elastomer-type cupholder inserts with local, deformable extensions to secure the container may be more robust (with respect to tipping), but may have different issues. For example, because of the higher surface friction between the inserts and the container, a greater force is required to insert and remove the container from the holder. The rubber insert may tend to come out with the container, or the beverage may be spilled when the container finally dislodges from the rubber retainer (as the user may not be able to stop the momentum). The rubber inserts may also cause the user to collapse a weaker container due to the grip force required to remove it from the holder. Another issue with rubber inserts is that the lid may be inadvertently removed from the cup when the user attempts to remove the cup from the holder (i.e., the lid comes up with the user's hand). Improvements are, therefore, desired to address these challenges. Among other things, the instant disclosure seeks to improve upon the aforementioned issues.
The foregoing discussion is intended only to illustrate the present field and should not be taken as a disavowal of claim scope.